Sunday, December 12, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Final Report on PLN
My Personal Learning Network has increased since I have gotten a phone that exhibits more technological advances. This phone has made it easier to learn quickly any information that I want to receive. Some of my PLN's have remained the same that I used before this class and before I got the phone I have now, but have changed in form (such as from a paper-back dictionary to one on my phone- although many times the paper back is more reliable). I have, however, been introduced to other learning programs that I can use in the future. Here are my PLN's:
thirtyone.com ...........I am a consultant for this business.
google.com...............I google a lot to find out information.
Gmail....................I receive e-mails from edm 310, leadership honor society
notifications, and Thirty-One through this.
Comcast.net..............I receive all of my other e-mails here such as school
related things, Focus on the Family, e-mails from family,
theknot.com e-mails, along with any other information.
Facebook.................I receive notifications through this, although it is not
one of my top PLN's.
Myspace..................similar to Facebook, although I only seek information occassionally through this.
Theweatherchannel.com.....................I use this a lot instead of the t.v. because I can easily access it on my phone.
Dictionary...............I have a dictionary on my phone which is very helpful.
Navigation...............I also have a navigation/GPS app on my phone.
USA web page.............Here I find all of my classes and information about them.
I also have access to PAWS, Foliotek, and other links
through this site.
Internet......................for anything I need to find out from particular stores (such as Best Buy for a camcorder), etc.
Television..................for news and any other information from commercials, etc.
People.....................people in general are my other PLN's. Many people know many different things. You just have to know who to go to.
thirtyone.com ...........I am a consultant for this business.
google.com...............I google a lot to find out information.
Gmail....................I receive e-mails from edm 310, leadership honor society
notifications, and Thirty-One through this.
Comcast.net..............I receive all of my other e-mails here such as school
related things, Focus on the Family, e-mails from family,
theknot.com e-mails, along with any other information.
Facebook.................I receive notifications through this, although it is not
one of my top PLN's.
Myspace..................similar to Facebook, although I only seek information occassionally through this.
Theweatherchannel.com.....................I use this a lot instead of the t.v. because I can easily access it on my phone.
Dictionary...............I have a dictionary on my phone which is very helpful.
Navigation...............I also have a navigation/GPS app on my phone.
USA web page.............Here I find all of my classes and information about them.
I also have access to PAWS, Foliotek, and other links
through this site.
Internet......................for anything I need to find out from particular stores (such as Best Buy for a camcorder), etc.
Television..................for news and any other information from commercials, etc.
People.....................people in general are my other PLN's. Many people know many different things. You just have to know who to go to.
C4T Summary
Comments For TeachersC4T#2
Classroom Hack: Creating Postcards Using Student Work POST:
Here is a quick way to let your students show off their artwork and get in a quick lesson on writing postcards. The picture above is a postcard I made in class from picture a student drew to go along with a media history assignment. I took the pictures and printed them onto card stock and cut them out. Then I had them write a postcard explaining the assignment and had them mailed. Soon the parents will get a surprise in the mail!
You can do the same thing with pictures of the students as well. Why not take a picture of the science experiment they are doing, the activity they are doing in their PE class, or them working on a computer? There is something special about receiving handwritten mail and it is even more special when it is from someone you love!
Please note: If you are using a laser printer you need it to heat up before running card stock in it. I print 25-30 blank pages first before I run the card stock through so it heats up enough that the toner sticks to the paper.
Posted by Wm Chamberlain at 7:23 AM
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Kayla (Perkins) Beck said...
TEACHER POST SUMMARY #1:
The kids were asked to make a post card and the back of the post card the student wrote what the assignment was about. The card was then mailed to the students’ parents. The parents received in the mail something their children created as artwork for school and also a lesson on the purpose of the project.
MY RESPONSE #1:
This is a great idea! I will definitely keep it in mind to use for my future class. This is also a good way to keep the parents informed, and possibly strike the parents' interest to get more involved with their kids' school work. This seems like a project that will be good for many different age ranges also.
September 21, 2010 8:43 AM
POST
I Got Your PD Right Here!
I am receiving the best professional development I have ever experienced at school. I am "team teaching" a math class.
Math is definitely not my strength. I got through by following patterns. I am very good at identifying them. I am not good at being able to understand the "why" of math. Does it make you wonder why I was placed in a math class to team teach?
So, I find myself sitting in a class that I do not feel comfortable in. Not only am I unfamiliar with the objectives (even after reading/studying them over the summer) but with the vocabulary used. Students are expecting me to be able to help them identify why they don't "get" something. How can this be great professional development for me if I am not comfortable?
I have become a student again. I am learning the math concepts and definitions with the students. I ask more clarifying questions than they do. I am remembering my student roots, learning in a classroom.
The first full week I taught the math lessons. I wanted to pull my own weight and show that I could do the job. After teaching a lesson my teaching partner broke the lesson down for me and we talked about what I could have done to make it better. For some veteran teachers this would be a problem, but not for me. I know I am in over my head and I am grateful to have an experienced teacher help me out.
Although the team teaching has been difficult and we have not yet found our comfort zone with the shared responsibilities I would still say this has been successful for me. I am learning math and how to be a better teacher.
Posted by Wm Chamberlain at 2:35 PM
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Labels: math, wmchamberlain
Kayla (Perkins) Beck said...
TEACHER POST SUMMARY #1:
In this post he wrote about how he is now a math teacher although it is not his strong point. He goes on to say that the teacher he is tag-teaming with is very helpful. He is also learning this over with the children, although he is one of the teachers. He goes on to say how it is very uncomfortable teaching a subject that is not his best.
MY POST RESPONSE #1:
I have heard something like this said, "A great teacher is one who is always learning." I guess now you got a great chance to learn again! That is very helpful that there is another teacher in the class with you that is also a great help. As teachers, we will never be great at everything no matter how hard we try. This is why teaching is a team job, and it is not about one teacher being better than another at certain subjects. It is about helping one another reach what our best is as a person, even if we are not the "best" at everything. If we were the best at everything, where would our individualism in teaching be?
October 4, 2010 7:33 AM
POST:
Monday, October 25, 2010
Should I Punish Students for Bad Behavior in Another Class?
My school has in-school suspension for students that behave inappropriately. I am not sure if it is because of not doing homework or because of what they have said or done. As the "computer" teacher I have never given any work for those students to complete, not much of a punishment if I let them use a computer in my opinion.
Today a teacher asked me if I ever sent any work for the student to do. When I replied I didn't she implied the student was "getting off" from doing the work in my class. My reply was that it would be hard for them to do the work in ISS when we are using the computers. I could figure out some make-work for them to do, but our administration is just as capable of that as me.
Thinking back over the exchange I have a different response. I really don't think I should punish a student by giving him/her make-work for improper behavior in someone else's class. What do you think?
MY RESPONSE #2:
I agree because even if they misbehave for someone else, does not mean that they do not have more respect for you. As teachers, I truly believe that if we respect our kids long enough, they will learn that respecting us is the best choice. And making them do punishment work for another class is not your job. It is the job of that teacher to handle it in his/her class, not in yours.
November 1, 2010 8:06 AM
C4T#4
Ryan Bretag: MetanoiPost #1:
I Stayed
On November 7, 2010, in Thought(ful)( less) Meandering, by ryanbretag
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There are moments in your life that you know are once in a lifetime. The path you choose during this moment no doubt defines you in ways both known and unknown. Two months ago, an unsolicited phone call while driving down the expressway presented one of those moments.
As I’ve said before, I never wanted to be an educator but I became one with the hopes of changing lives and the educational system. The last ten years I’m not sure I’ve lived up to what I envisioned – I’m tired, frustrated, failing, and falling further behind. It is why this phone call was so enticing. It allowed me to say good-bye to public education and enter the for-profit arena with opportunities to impact school districts throughout the nation was so appealing.
My wife said go. My family said go. My friends said go. I even said go.
Despite this, I chose my path and stayed. I stayed because my heart is tied to the faces of learners, to the possibilities of public education, and to the changes we’ve yet to make. I couldn’t envision not being in a school on a daily basis. I couldn’t envision working from the outside.
And, to be honest, I stayed because something became really clear… I want to lead a school community – something I was vehemently against in much the same way I was with becoming an educator in the first place.
I surely don’t know what this decision means on many levels, but I know I’ll continue to have the chance to change lives and education from within… exactly where my heart and soul lies.
Thank you to all that mentored me through this process especially you, Brian.
MY RESPONSE:
1. Kayla says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
November 15, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Hello, I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class in Alabama. Although it was a hard decision to make, it very well might be the right one. As a future educator, your response to the question of whether to go or not was encouraging to me. I truly believe that educating will be difficult, but I am in this for the same reasons you are-to change lives…..and to change lives we must!
POST #2:
Once a “Cheater”, Always a “Cheater”
On November 27, 2010, in Leading, Teaching, Thought(ful)( less) Meandering, by ryanbretag
3Share
In the wee morning hours, you’ll find them sitting there huddled around a table or crouched around a tight spot on the floor. There they sit “sharing” their homework.
Yep, some call it sharing. Some call it comparing. Others call it helping. Many call it studying. Most educators would call it cheating.
This scene repeats itself at lunch and in the hallways during passing periods where it is often the sharing of what took place in earlier classes, what was on the quiz or test, and what was or wasn’t collected.
Maybe we should ban their ability to connect? Maybe we should ban their ability to socialize? Maybe we should ban their ability to talk? Maybe we should ban notebooks, paper assignments, and brains that store this information that can easily be transferred to other students?
Why do we barely bat an eye at this, yet we quickly jump to all the “cheating” that will take place if we allow mobile learning devices? Why do we support the banning of mobile learning devices to protect the sanctity of “your” classroom, yet the realities of what could take place with these devices is already happening in analog means?
Maybe we should ban bad assignments and poor assessments, and reallocate class time for collaboration, inquiry, project-based learning, and innovation. Maybe we should ban learning in isolation and keep in mind that today’s cheating is tomorrow’s collaboration.
Technology hasn’t created these problems. It has simply brought to light things that have always been there. It has simply brought these discussions back to the forefront of our thinking. Stop thinking it is a technology problem, get to the root of the problem, and utilize the knowledge we have about what it means to be a good educator.
MY RESPONSE #2:
Kayla says:
November 29, 2010 at 11:43 am
I definitely agree that educators along with parents have seen technological devices in classrooms as a cheating source, but fail to realize how much cheating is already happening without them (many times because “cheating” has so many wishy-washy definitions). Learning is wonderful, but what about offering new ways to learn by using our brains for real and not simply trying to memorize things from a book. I truly believe that the classroom should be more project and collaboratively driven because it seems that this is how we learn the best. Learn by doing, not by memorizing. Maybe if we do this, it will be tough to even want to “cheat” or find a way of doing it because we are learning out of the box.
C4K Summary
Comments For Kids
C4K#3: Roll on, roll on!
Roll on, roll on!
The next job was to drag the waka onto the golden beach, so they cut tall native trees down.
Then they rolled it over the logs like in the book "Five Green Speckled Frogs"! They dragged the waka with a rope made out of cocnut fibre.
Finally they unloaded coconuts, a juicy pig and the bananas they had left, onto the beach to save for dinner.
Kayla (Perkins) Beck said...
Hi! I am from University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I am in Dr. Strage's EDM 310 class. I think this is a great story! Very cute. I also love the picture that goes along with it. I like to see visuals when I am reading a story. Great job!
C4K#4: Buffy
POST:
hello
Don’t you love the holidays all you do is relax and sleep in which is the best part. You even get to do what ever you want. Holidays are the best you also don’t have your parents around nagging you to do your homework and all that. you also get to watch telivision lay on the couch without having to get off it. Holidays are the best but I think that the christmas holidays are the best because they are the longest holidays. holidays are even better in summer when you get to go to the beach just lay on the warm comfy sand and even go for a nice swim. Holidays are the best. Who wouldn’t like holidays you even get to travel see the other nice places in the world. you could even go snorkling. How fun are holidays.
bye enjoy your holidays!
MY RESPONSE:
Hi! I am an edm 310 student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I enjoyed reading your blog! I also love the Holidays. They are wonderful times of the year. No homework is definitely great! But when your parents “nag” you about homework, they really just want you to succeed and do the very best work you can do. The Summer is very nice, but I still prefer Christmas! The main reason is because I get to go see my grandparents. Your blog was very good, but let me give you some tips: Although blogging is informal much of the time, try to watch your sentence structure, capitalization, and making your point clear. Great job though!
C4K#5
WADE
They tried to gain control over us in Lexington and Concord, but they have failed. The Patriots will stand tall and become the victors over England. If they strike again the ground will be drenched redder than coats of the horrid Lobster-Backs with their blood. It won’t matter if they come by night, day, land, or sea we will be the greater of the two.MY RESPONSE:
This sounds great! When I read it I feel like it is a letter written by a patriot. You really used wonderful words and phrases that make this feel real, and bring the reader to a time in mind that feels like it is occurring at that very moment centuries ago. Great job!
C4K#6: Claire
I am excited about this! Now we can all communicate and share allot of things.
see you all later!!!
MY RESPONSE:
Hi Claire! I am a college student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I am glad that you are excited about posting comments and sharing this with your classmates. Good team spirit!
C4K#7
Emma
POST:
What Has Changed Since 4th Grade? What has changed was that we got netbooks. Getting netbooks was a very big and good change because we use them all of the time. We are also doing alot of project based learning this year. I have also noticed that we are having alot more fundraisers for our school. We also haven’t had a field trip since fourth grade and I think that I learn better when we do something that is physical or like the real thing or see what it is like. That is what I think has changed.
– Emma
MY RESPONSE:
Some of those changes seem to be a good thing! Being able to do projects is always helpful because you get hands-on experience and you get to create something yourself a lot of times. I learn better also by physically being able to do something or by having a visual to look at. I hope you are enjoying the changes sinces the fourth grade!
C4K#8
Mr. Wellington’s Class number 9
POST:
In this blog, the students are able to go straight from their class blog to a game. This is a math game that is supposed to help them learn. The kids are able to access it any time they want to because it is on their class blog.
MY RESPONSE:
I commented that games are such a great way to keep kids interested in learning. I also said that it was great for them to be able to use it straight from their class blog.
C4K#9
HENRI’S POST:
chile mine collapse
MY RESPONSE:
November 9, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Hi Henri! I am also a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class in Mobile. That is wonderful that you are keeping up with what is going on in the news. Great job with the pictures on your blog!
C4K#10
#1 on November 12th
POST:
My friend’s Jarrell and ahmad where playing football. We played tackle in the dirt. We also watered the plants.We had fun and got dirtyMy Response:
Hi! I am an EDM 310 student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class in Alabama. I think it is great that yall were having fun while you are doing what is important to you! Keep up the good work and keep having fun doing it!
C4K#11
Amy
My Baby Kitten
POST:
My baby kittens name is Marragold. She is only 3months old, but shes small for her age. SHE’S THE CUTEST KITTEN IN THE WORLD!!!! My dad looks like he doesn’t like cats, but on the inside he loves them. Sometimes he lets her come into the garage. Sometimes my mom lets us bring her into the house when dads not home. Marragold was the first born, but her mom is a loner from the pack and the kitten hanges out with the pack so she rejects her. There were 5 babys, but 4 of them died. So it’s just her who’s alive. Marragold gets special treatment since her brother and sisters died.
The End
MY RESPONSE:
Hi, my name is Kayla. I am a college student at University of South Alabama and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I love what you wrote about your kitten! They are so adorable. I wonder the same thing as Mrs. Huebner: Do you get to keep it forever and what does she look like?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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